Arithmetic, Meet Algebra
“Even a third-grade teacher with a firm math background can present the arithmetic in a children’s poem in such a way that students later recognize the beautiful ideas associated with a geometric series.”
Why school districts need a ‘Consumer Reports’ for ed tech
“Collectively, our nation’s K-12 schools and institutions of higher education spend more than $13 billion annually on education technology. And yet we have a dearth of data to inform our understanding of which products (or categories of products) are most likely to “work” within a particular school or classroom. As a result, we purchase products that often turn out to be a poor match for the needs of our schools or students. Badly matched and improperly implemented, too many fall short of their promise of enabling better teaching — and learning.”
How to Remediate Creativity
“All students have the ability to create, yet if left undeveloped, rigor mortis of the imagination sets in and becomes a distant memory of happier, more childish times. When taken seriously, imagination offers infinite possibilities, not necessarily bound by the rules of logic, the world or political views. Too often, students fail to explore their own imagination— especially when it comes to dreaming up solutions to the problems of the day. As the child progresses through the education system, students perceive their own ideas as foolish and are taught to always appeal to the “experts.” Gradually, the notion of “until I am taught or told what to do…I am wrong” creeps in, turning potential Spielbergs into passive consumers of content and wikis.”
Opportunities to bridge the college & career readiness gap
“Providing students college readiness resources while still in high school is a benefit to students. In the past, most colleges enrolled these students in Developmental Courses to enable them to become college ready. Students did not earn college credit for these courses but did pay tuition. Providing these resources in high school eliminates cost, saves time, and reinforces skills. In addition, college and career ready students encounter more opportunities for higher education and employment choices.”
‘Varsity Blues’ Scandal Has High School Students Worried About College Admissions
“Kaplan Test Prep surveyed 313 aspiring college students, and 57 percent said they’re worried that a less-qualified applicant might use their personal connections to nab their spot at their top-choice school.”
Students Are Really, Really Bad at Spotting Fake News, Misleading Websites
“Students’ weak performance on that task and five other tasks aiming to gauge their online-reasoning skills constitutes alarming evidence that a large majority of students are not well prepared to investigate sources of information for their accuracy, relevance, and quality. And despite more than a decade’s worth of policy chatter about media literacy, whatever schools have been doing doesn’t appear to have been enough to inoculate students against “fake” news.”
How Social Learning Can Help Everyone in Your School
“Social cognitive theory, also known by the term social learning theory today, is a learning theory founded on the premise that people learn (at least in part) by observing others. Within the context of online learning or blended learning spaces, social cognitive theory can provide useful guidance. It informs how we should structure learning environments and the actors in them. It can also be instructive when it comes to important pedagogical factors, like learner motivation.”
Beyond Objectives: High School Reality
“I believe that inquiry-based learning provides a natural opportunity to strengthen the development of our students’ mathematical thinking. Taking small steps makes the transition to inquiry-based instruction appear effortless and prepares our students to be successful. To illustrate, let’s imagine that a group of algebra 1 teachers is meeting with the math coach as part of their weekly professional learning community.”
